Keyboard for power-driven writing machines



April 25, 1939- 0. .1. SUNDSTRAND 2,155,998

KEYBOARD FOR POWER-DRIVEN WRITING MACHINES Filed Dec. 30, 1936 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR OSCAR J Sl/IVDSTRA/VD BY M ATTORN EY April 2i539- o. J. SUNDSTRAND 2,155,998

KEYBOARD FOR POWER-DRIVEN WRITING MACHINES Filed Dec. 50, 1936 2Sheets-Sheet 2 m m n m F 5 0m1%%%-p ATTO R N EY Patented Apr. 25, 1939UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Oscar J. Sundstrand, Bridgeport, Conn.,assignor to Underwood Elliott York, N. Y., a corporat Fisher Company,New ion of Delaware Application December 30, 1936, Serial No. 118,182

3 Claims.

This invention particularly concerns typewriters employing, in order toease the labor of the typist and improve production, type actions thatare operated by power driven mechanism at operation of the typing keys.

The invention is herein explained with reference to a typewriter, of theElliott Fisher class, adapted to employ a continuously rotating powerdriven universal shaft to which the type actions are selectivelyconnectable through operation of the type keys, it being understood thatupon its being connected to such shaft, the type action is poweroperated by the shaft to print.

In prior constructions, the keys are usually horizontal at their topsand are arranged in transverse rows or banks one behind the other, andthe banks are definitely stepped one above the other for avoidinginterference of the typists finger, while said finger is engaged indepressing a key, with the next higher or lower key bank.

Each type action may have a connector individually movable, throughoperation of a corresponding type key, to connect said type action tothe power shaft.

In a machine employing power operated type action mechanism, the typistexperiences ease in manipulating the keys at a faster rate than in amachine in which the type actions are driven in printing strokes by theforce of the typists fingers. This is due, first, to the fact that inthe power operated machine, the typists fingers do not exert a typedriving force or pressure but, on the contrary, simply serve to move thevery lightly resistant connectors, and it is further due to the factthat the extent of key stroke employed to move a connector is much lessthan that necessary and usually employed to drive the type actionthrough the stroke of the finger upon the key.

However, considering the connectors and their type actions apart fromthe keys, it is demonstrably possible to operate properly saidconnectors and type actions themselves at an even faster rate ofsuccessive operations than the rate at which the speediest typist isaccustomed to operate the keys of a power-action typewriter.

Thus, in a power operated type action mechanism, the typing speed thatis attainable by the typist is limited not by the connector and typeaction mechanism itself, but it is only limited by the ease and rapiditywith which the keys can be manipulated by the typist.

An object of the invention is to provide for utilizing more fully theinherent capability of the power driven type actions for speedilysuccessive operations. To this end the invention aims to surmount to amaterial degree the limitation to speedy typing such as arises-from theconventional arrangement of the usual typewriter keyboard. Therefore,the invention proposes for the power driven type action mech-' anism akeyboard improvement that makes it materially easier to manipulate thekeys faster than in the ordinary keyboard.

Another object is to retain, in the improved keyboard, a suflicientstepping of the key banks for the purpose, as aforesaid, of avoidinginterference.

Another object is to employ the improved keyboard arrangement inconjunction with type key presenting levers that according to preferredpractice, extend rearwardly from the several banks of keys to a commonfulcrum axis behind the keyboard.

I attain these objects, and gain therefrom unexpected advantages, byemploying power-typeaction controlling type key levers and inassociation therewith a keyboard having stepped banks of keys, buthaving the finger engaged tops of the keys pitched downwardly at anangle from back to front as compared with the heretofore employedhorizontal postures of the key tops.

Thus, the improved power-type-action. controlling keyboard consideredgenerally may be regarded, in respectof the key tops, as being pitchedor sloped downwardly from back to front and substantially as having thebanks stepped perpendicularly to the pitch. The angle of pitch may be,say, 10 from the horizontal.

The space key bar usually provided at the front of the keyboard may haveits top finger surface pitched downwardly consonantly with the generalpitch of the key tops.

With my improved pitched key-top, power type-action controllingkeyboard, the typist definitely experiences, in respect of rapid typing,greater ease in rapidly moving the fingers laterally over the keyboard,and in rapidly reaching, that is, ascending or descending, from bank tobank, and is thus definitely enabled to operate the keys at a materiallyfaster rate for utilizing more fully the capability of the powermechanism for operating the types in speedy succession.

One aim in providing power-operated type action mechanism in typewritersis to ease the labor of the typists arms, wrists and fingers in yping inthat the key strokes in power typing are usually shallow in depth andeach stroke in itse f requires little effort. Thus, as compared with thepractice for manually operable or finger driven types, the arm, wristand finger movements required in manipulating the keys in power typingare much less and are executed with less force than in hand typing, and,therefore, in power typing the typists arms, wrists and ilngers are morerelaxed and are much less apt to become fatigued. My improved slopingkeyboard conduces even more and thus materially to favoring andobtaining relaxation of the typists arms, wrists and fingers and,therefore, the keys may be operated faster or with less effort than inthe conventional horizontal-keyboard, and it follows that there isgained fuller benefit of the capability of the power type actionsthemselves for operation in rapid succession, and fuller realization ofthe aim in using power-typeactions.

Another advantage resulting from thus sloping or pitching the key-topsis that the rise of the keyboard from bank to bank appears to be reducedvertically and the key tops are more nearly perpendicular to the typistsusual line of vision.

The downwardly and forwardly inclined keys may be fixed directly on keylevers that extend at different lengths, according to the different keybanks, from a preferably common fulcrum axis behind the keyboard. It isfeasible, in using power operated type actions controlled by such keylevers, to employ means limiting the strokes of the key levers to suchdegree that the downward and forward inclination or pitch of the fin gerengaged key top planes is not materially altered during the operativerange of movement of the key levers about their pivots. Thus the typistsfingers sense no excessive pitch of the key top plane at the bottom ofthe key stroke and this conduces materially to the typists sense ofsecurity in avoiding any slipping of the fingers oil the key tops at thebottom of the key strokes, and hence facilitates rapid manipulation ofthe keyboard.

' So far as I am aware, it is entirely novel in concept and spirit tocombine a definitely stepped keyboard, but with the key tops slopingdownwardly toward the front, with a. power operated type actionmechanism, and it is further entirely novel to thus achieve, through theresulting enabling of faster key operation by the typists fingers, afuller and more advantageous use of the capability inherent in the poweroperable type actions themselves for their successive operations at aspeedy rate.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an Elliott- Fisher writing machine,equipped with my improved keyboard;

Figure 2 is a sectional view through the keyboard and its associatedparts, showing the arrangement of the keys in banks or tiers, and thekey and type bar action, and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view.

The Elliott-Fisher key carriage III is supported to travel in letterspacing direction and return, on tracks ll forming part of a line spaceframe [2 which, in turn, is supported for movement in line spacingdirection, on rails (not shown) suit ably mounted on a stand or base.

The horizontal platen I3 is located below the key carriage.

Suitable letter and line spacing mechanisms, not shown, are provided toadvance the key carmags over the platen in letter spacing direction,

amaees and to shift the line space frame i2 with its key carriage ID inline spacing direction.

Reference may be made to patents to Foothorap, No. 1,203,519, October31, 1916, and 1,904,127, April 18, 1933, for a more complete descriptionof the foregoing and other mechanisms used in the Elliott-Fisher machineherein illustrated.

The lower ends of the side walls of the key carriage frame are projectedforwardly, as at I 4, the outer ends of such forward projections beingconnected by a cross bar 15, to form a hollow frame or cavity to embracethe keyboard.

The keyboard per se comprises the forward ends of the key levers I9there being a separate key for each letter of the alphabet and eachnumeral, together with certain punctuation marks, the ordinary keyboardincluding some 40 to 44 keys.

In the present instance, these key levers project forwardly throughguide slots 2| formed in the vertical flange of a cover plate 22extending over the top of the key carriage frame, the rear ends of thekey levers being pivoted in alinement on a cross rod 20 mounted at itsopposite ends in the side walls of the key carriage frame, and lyingjust behind the vertical slotted flange.

Limiting arms l9 project upwardly from each key lever, through slots 23in the cover plate, the upper ends of the arms entering their respectivelimiting slots 24 formed in a guide plate 25 extending between andsupported at the upper ends of vertical side brackets 26 mounted on theopposite ends of the cover plate 22.

These limiting slots are graduated in length in correspondence with thelengths of the key levers IS, the arms IQ of the longest key leversentering the shortest slots in the guide plate, the arms IQ of the nextshortest key levers, entering the next longest limiting slots, and soon, to offset the greater arcs of travel of the longer levers andequalize the extents of depression of the keys.

Springs 21 connected to the individual key lever arms I9 normally holdthe latter against the rear walls of the slots 24 in the guide plate,and maintain the key levers I9 in their normal elevated positions.

In that form of mechanism herein shown, each key lever arm I9 isprovided with a pair of rearwardly extending jaws 29 to form an openended seat for a stud 30 projecting laterally from the forward end of adrag link 28 which extends over a continuously rotating, fluted shaftI30 driven by motor power in any convenient manner, as that I set forthin my co-pending U. S. application for patent, filed December 5, 1936,Serial No. 114,416.

A spring 3| connected at its opposite ends to the key lever arm and tothe drag link, respectively, normally holds the stud 30 of its drag linkat the forward closed end of the seat 29, and constitutes a yieldingconnection between the key lever arm I9 and its drag link 28. The rearend of each drag link is hooked to take over a. lateral pin 32 carriedby a thrust link 40 individual to each key lever and forming part of atoggle mechanism which also includes a radius arm 15 and a connectinglink ID.

The radius arms of the several toggle mechanisms, there being one suchtoggle mechanism for each key lever l9, as is well understood, areindividually journaled in a common horizontal line,

radius arm ll. The upper end of the connecting link it is pivoted to theopposite side of the radius arm, at 14.

A disengaging spring '5 anchored to the associated key lever arm I! andto a forwardly projecting toe It at the lower end of the thrust link ll,normally holds the toggle mechanism in flexed position, with the thrustlink ll alined against a rearwardly inclined arresting plate 84extending between and supported by the side brackets 2'. 1

The connecting links IQ depend through slots 13 in the cover plate 22,the lower end of each connecting link II being pivoted to its individualintermediate lever II, at H. Each intermediate lever is journaled at itsrear end on a cross rod 5! extending between the side walls of the keycarriage frame, the intermediate lever projecting 1 forwardly, and beingguided at its front end in a slot 62 formed in the front wall of the keycarriage casing. A'spring 6| connected to the, intermediate lever 5|operates to yieldingly hold the lever and its connected parts in raisedposi-' tion.

An extensible link depending from the intermediate lever 58, connectsthe latter with one end of a sub-lever 55 pivoted on a post 58projecting upwardly from the recessed deck 4| customarily provided inmachines of the Elliott-'- Hsher type and forming part of the keycarriage ill. A second link 54 connects the remaining end of thesub-lever 55 with an elbow lever 52 pivoted by one arm, at 52, to a post53 depending from the deck ll adjacent the recess therein, and a thirdlink 5| connects the lower arm of the elbow lever 52 with the tail ofthe appropriate type bar 45. pivoted at 46 to a bracket 44 fastened tothe arcuate type bar ring or segment 42 suspended below the deck H andforming part of the key carriage. A type 41 is mounted in the free endof each type bar.

A spring 48 connected to the type bar I yieldingly retains the type barin, and returns it to its normal vertical position, as shown, whereinthe free end of the type bar rests against a buffer ring 49.

A pawl ll pivoted at l! oneach of the thrust links III at a pointthereon opposite the continuously rotating drive member I, when thethrust link is in its normal elevated position, is provided with alateral extension (indicated in dotted lines) to contact a shoulder 9|formed on the thrust link.

It will be understood that the above description of the single type baraction applies to the several type actions associated with theirrespectlve key levers It".

Any key lever I! when manually depressed will rock counter-clockwise(Fig. 2) on its pivot against the tension of its restoring spring 21,tensioning its yielding link II to advance the associated drag link 28,the latter, because of its hooked end, operating to rock its thrust linkforwardly on its pivot 80, to not only engage the pawl 8| with thetoothed drive member I30, but also to straighten the toggle mechanism.

The drive member J30, when engaged by the pawl ll, drives the alinedtoggle links 40, II downwardly, to rock downward the appropriateintermediate lever 58 and through the hereinbefore described linkage,effect an impact of the type 41 on the type bar 45 against the work onthe platen I I.

The arrangement of the parts is such that the pawl ll disengages itselffrom the drive member are just prior. to the contact the work on theplaten l3, whereupon, after-the,-

cable.

s ping keyboard In machines of the foregoing type, it will be observedthat, because of the height. of the keyboard, the operator sitting onachair of the usual height is at a disadvantage, as his forearms must beinclined upwardly at an awkward angle, which soon becomes tiresome andfatiguing. and prevents speedy operation of the machine.

These disadvantages are increased in former machines by the necessityfor depressing the keys by vpressure vertically applied to horizontalkey tops.

It is true that when the key levers extend from a pivoted point at therear ofthe machine, the prejudicial results may be slightly less becauseof the wider arc of travel of the outer free end of the key lever,though still present'in some degree, but in instances where shorter keylevers are provided, the arc of travel described by the forward end ofthe key and to be followed by the operators finger, is considerablysharper, resulting in materially slowing the speed at which the machinecanbe operated. y

To eliminate the foregoing objections, ,I have devised a novel keyboardwherein, while still retaining the application of pressure to the keylevers in a direction substantially at right angles thereto, I arrangethat the direction of movement of the operators fingers in applying suchpressure to the keys shall be at a less angle to the horizontal than thevertical blow necessitated by the usual design of keyboard now incommercial use.

Describing the application of my invention to a machine equipp d withshort key levers, that is, one wherein the key levers are fulcrumed nearthe front of the machine, as in the accompanying drawings, it will benoted that each of the key levers of the uppermost bank of keysisprovided with a horizontal reach I!" extending forwardly from thefulcrum 2| to a point slightly past the slotted guides 2 I, after whichthe key lever is continued at a sharp downward inclination of say,

45 degrees more or less, the outer end of the downwardly inclined reachterminating in an upwardly extending, forwardly tilted-key stem |9 lyingat an angle of substantially 10 degrees from the vertical.

The key levers of the'next or second highest bank of keys, have the samehorizontal reachidentical with the horizontal portions of the keys ofthe highest bank, and parallel therewith, the key levers of the secondhighest bank being continued from the outer ends of the horizontalreaches in a steep downward incline exactly as the key levers of thehighest bank, and parallel therewith, but the steep inclines of the keylevers appropriate to the second highest bank are prolonged downwardlybeyond the key stems ll of the highest bank, for a suflicient distanceto space the keys of the second highest bank in advance of the keys ofthe highest bank so that 5 the operatorsilngers will clear either bankof keys when operating the other.

Key stems ll inclined at similar angles to the vertical, projectupwardly and tilt forwardly from the lower ends of the steeply inclinedreaches of the key levers of the second highest bank, such key stemsbeing slightly longer than the key stems il on the key levers of thehighest bank, to compensate for the greater depth to which the steeplyinclined parts of the key levers of the 1| second highest bank extend,whereby to locate the upper ends of the key stems a step downward, sayabout three-eighths of an inch, from the upper ends of the key stems ofthe highest bank, so as to enable the operator's fingers to clear the Isecond highest bank when depressing keys of the highest bank.

The third highest bank of key levers is in substantial parallelism withthe levers of the second highest set, but instead of prolonging thesteeply I inclined portions of the key levers to a greater depth thanthe key levers of the next higher bank, the extended ends of the keylevers of the third highest bank are brought forwardly inflattendedarcs, from the free ends of which project I key stems isshorter than the key stems of the next higher bank, such shorter keystems extending upwardly and forwardly at substantially the same angleas do the key stems l9 and i! of the higherbanks.

8 The arcuate forward extensions of the key le vers of the third highestbank serve to space their key stems I! the requisite distance in advanceof the key stems of the next higher bank,

and the provision of shorter key stems serves to locate the key topsthereof in lowerstepped relation to the key tops ll of the next higherbank, to form a clearance when the keys of said next higher bank aredepressed.

The key levers oi the lowest or fourth bank aresimilartothekeysofthethirdornexthigher bank, except that the flattenedarcuate extensions are longer and nearly straight, to space the keystems in advance of those of the third highest bank, and the forwardlytilted key stems I! are very short to eifect thesteparrangement of thekeyboard for the purposes above explained. Key caps or tops II aremounted on the upper ends of the tilted key stems. the contact faces ofthe key caps assuming a tilt or inclination of,

u say, about 10 degrees to the horizontal, and lying at right angles totheir key stems.

By this combined arrangement of sloping key levers, inclined key stemsand slanted key caps, I have contrived a new keyboard for power-driven atypewriting machines which eliminates fatigue.

enables a speedier operation, and aifords a characteristically differenttouch and operation.

It will be noted that the contact faces of the key caps I i of thekeyboard lie in stepped rows, g thekeycapsofeachrowlyingintheirowninciined plane, and the planes of inclination ofthe several rows being parallel, one above the other. To further carryout the inclined appearance of the keyboard, the space bar iil locatedin ad- 10 vance of the lowest or front row of keys, is mounted on itssupporting levers III at the same angular degree as arethe keys of theseveral banks, so that the plane of inclination of the space barparallels and lies below the successive 13 parallel planes ofinclination of the stepped rows arouses 7 namely, the key lever arms I!and the cooperatl0 ing slots 24 in'plate 25 may limit the key leverstrokes to such degree that the inclination of the keys ll will not bematerially altered during the operative range of movement of the keylevers about their pivot rod 20. 15

Because of the light pressure required to depress the keys of thismachine sufilciently to engage the type bar actions with the power-driveelement, a staccato touch or blow such as is necessary for the properoperation of a key-actuated type action, is wholly obviated, and hence Ihave been able to provide a sloping stepped keyboard which can be"played" with a legato touch. in much the same manner as a piano.

In consequence, the operator may hold his fingers in approximatealinement with his hands which need be inclined upwardly at a slightangle only to the horizontal, similar to the angular plane of thekeyboard, to enable the operator by a mere forward and backward movementof his arms, to cover the entire keyboard area, and by a slight rockingof the fingers at the knuckles, to

depress the keys.

Retention of the stepped arrangement is \nec- I essary to afford aclearance between the opera-' tors fingers and the row of keys next inadvance of the keys depressed, but such stepped arrangement instead ofbeing vertical, is inclined, which is possible only because in powertypewriting machines it is unnecessary to drive the type actions 0downwardly to effect printing.

What is claimed as new, is:

1. A writing machine, the key levers of which are of varying lengthsarranged in progressively higherstepped banks from front to rear; up- 5wardly projecting forwardly inclined key stems on the respective keylevers; key caps mounted on the stems at substantial right anglesthereto. to lie'in progressively stepped, inclined, parallel planes;arms on the key levers; and a limiting plate having slots of varyinglengths graduated in correspondence with the lengths of the key levers,and entered by the arms ofthe key levers, the arms of the respectivelylonger key levers embraced by the respectively shorter slots. 5|

2. In a typewriter, a system of type actions, a system of pivoted typekey levers by means of which said type actions are operated, said keylevers having fixed thereon keys arranged in transverse rows or banksconstituting a key board in which said banks are arranged one behindanother and are definitely stepped, in different planes at theflnger-engageable key tops, one above the other, said key top planeshaving a downward pitch from rear to front for easing the es reaching ofthe typists fingers from bank to bank and for easing the effort of saidfingers in de-' pressing said keys, and means limiting the strokes ofsaid key levers to such degree that the pitch of said planes will not'bematerially altered during the operative range of movement of said typekey levers about their pivots.

3. The combination, in a typewriting machine; of means forming a fulcrumaxis; a plurality of type key levers of varyin lengths pivoted on andaction mechanism of the kind described, com- 5 extending forwardly fromsaid axis; each key to rear, whereby to enable the handset the opleverprovided with an upwardly extending key erator to crawl back and forthover the keyboard stem, the key stems being graduated in height and toreach from bank to bank with ease; and to form rows or banks arranged ina succession means limiting the strokes of said key levers to ofprogressively higher steps from front to rear; such degree that theinclination of said key-caps a key cap fixed on each key stem, arrangedwith will not be materially altered during the operaits top in aforwardly inclined plane, the inclined tlve range of movement of saidtype key levers key cap tops of the respective banks of keys being aboutsaid axis.

in different planes successively higher from front OSCAR J. SUNDSTRAND.

